Pleasure railway



B. B. PEWlTT PLEASURE RAILWAY Feb. 21, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov.15, 1945 wiii INVENTOR.

B. B. PEWITT PLEASURE RAILWAY Feb. 21, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov.15, 1945 fi@wfii INVENTOR.

[TIER/V5 Y B. B. PEWITT PLEASURE RAILWAY Feb.21,1950

Filed Nov. 15, 1945 liul ll uli l WTTOW/VEY-S.

Patented Feb. 21, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I PLEASURE RAILWAYBernard B. Pewitt, Oak Ridge, Tenn.

Application November 15, 1945, Serial No. 528,714

This invention relates to an amusement device in the form of a pleasurerailway, an object of the invention being to provide a pleasure railwaywherein a car is moved over the track, the car being so constructed thatit may rotate end over end, or swing in a plane at right-angles to thedirection of travel of the car.

Another object of the invention is to provide manually operatedcontrolled means within the car, whereby the rotations of the car endover end may be controlled, at the will of the occupant of the car.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details ofconstruction and combinations of parts, hereinafter more fully describedand pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may bemade in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing fromthe spirit of the invention as claimed.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a device constructed inaccordance with the invention, illustrating the car as mounted on thetracks of the device.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the car.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the car.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the reference character Edesignates the rails of the track, which are held in place by means ofcrossbars 6, the tracks being substantially wide and formed with deepgrooves I in which the wheels 8, on which the car is mounted, operate.

The shape of the track may be of any desired design and is soconstructed that a walkway 9 is provided, the walkway being supported bymeans of the brackets If! that are bolted to one of the rails 5 of thetrack.

The car which is indicated by the reference character II is of barrelformation, the ends thereof being preferably bulged as shown by Figure 2of the drawings. The body portion of the car may be constructed of anydesired material, the car having an opening through which the occupantmay enter the car, the opening being formed in the upper wall thereof,and normally closed by means of the sliding closure [2 which isconstructed of any suitable transparent material.

The body portion or car II is formed with stub shafts l3 extending fromthe front and rear ends thereof, the stub shafts l3 being mounted inbearings I4 formed in the frame I5, the frame 4 Claims. (Cl. 104-76) l 5being constructed of tubular members. Hollow shafts l6 extend from thesides of the frame [5 and provide supports for the spindles l5 on whichthe wheels 8 rotate, the wheel 8 at one side of the frame 15 beingformed with the brake drum ll, against which the brake shoes l8 engageto lock the wheel 8 at one side of the frame, to the. frame l5, thebrake shoes and drum being of the conventional type to clutch the frameand wheel together. Thus it will be seen that due to this construction,the car, together with the frame I5 will rotate end over end, when thebrake shoes l8 are moved to lock the frame l5 with the wheel 8 atoneside of the car.

Cables l9 extend through the hollow frame I 5 and operate over pulleys20 formed within the hollow shaft H5 at the side of the frame carryingthe brake shoes IS, the cables extending to the disk'24 that is mountedat the forward end of the control rod 2! which is provided with a wheel22 at its inner end, wherebythe movements of the brake shoes may beregulated by the occupant sitting on the seat 23 of the car. As shown byFig. 2 of the drawings, the seat 23 is disposed an appreciable distancebelow the center of gravity of the car II, to the end that when the carII is rotated slowly end over end, and moves to an up-side-downposition, the weight of the occupants of the car will tend to cause thecar to rotate at right angles to the direction of travel of the car overthe track.

The cables l9 connect with the disk 24 which is slidably mounted on thepins 25 that extend from the bearing [4 at the front end of the car. Thecontrol rod being connected with the disk 24 may be operated to controlthe cables by pushing the wheel 22 forwardly. A coiled spring indicatedat 26 is connected with the disk, and acts to return the disk 24 to itsnormal position, when the person relieves the pressure on the controlrod 2!.

Guides 21 are mounted in the bottom of the car and guide the weight 28in its movements longitudinally of the car, the weight being providedwith rack teeth 29 formed along one edge thereof, which teeth areengaged by means of the gear 30 mounted on the lower end of the verticalshaft 3! that extends upwardly to a position adjacent to the operatorsseat, where the operator will have easy access to the wheel 32 thatcontrols the movements of the shaft 3|, and which is mounted on theupper end of the shaft 3|.

Thus it will be seen that by rotating the shaft 3|, the weight 28 may beadjusted according to the weight of the occupant of the car, to balancethe occupant over the wheels.

A hood indicated at 32 is positioned on the frame I near the rearthereof and is so arranged that the car may roll or rotate on the stubshafts I3 within the hood.

The car is propelled over the track by means I of the cable 33, whichcable connects with the hollow shafts l6 through the medium of the arms34 which are shown as connectedwith the shafts I6, the free endsof thearms 34 being extended downwardly terminating at points below the car,where they are secured to the cable by means of eye-bolts 35. Safetybelts indicated at 35' are provided to strap the occupant to the seat.

From the foregoing it will be seen tha't due to the construction shownand described, the car may be propelled over the"trackway by means ofthe cable 33 and that the occupant of the car may, by adjusting theweight 28, balance 1himself'over the wheels, and that by moving itherrod2-1 to cause the wheel 8 atone side'of :the'car to he-locked tothe:frame,-the'frame will be rotated end "over end.

WhatLis claimed is:

1..A pleasure railway comprising a track, carqembodying a wheel:supported frame, adapted to moive over the :track, means -for mounting'the ;frame on the wheels. for end over end rotary movement of the frame.on a horizontal axis :intermediate the :ends of "the frame, a 'bodysup-;portediwithin the frame to rotate therewith, and

,mearrsfor mounting the-body within'the frame 1 for rolling movement onanhorizon'tal axis at the ends of theframeina-plane at-right-angles toth direction-of travel of thecar.

2. A pleasure railway comprising a track, .a .frame, shafts extendingfrom the sides of the Eframe, supporting wheels rotatable on theshaftsand operating over the track, bearings at the front and rear endsoftheaframe, a-car mounted for rotation within the frame, trunnionsextending from the ends of the car mounted :within lthe bearings-of theframe, means for selectively securing'one of the shafts of the frame toits Wheel whereby said frame is rotated end over end with the wheel, andsaid car beingfree for swinging motion on said trunnions in a planeopposite the path of travel of the frame under the weight of theoccupants seated in the car.

3. A pleasure railway comprising a track, a frame, shafts extendinglaterally from the center of the frame, wheels rotatably mounted on theshafts, a braking mechanism between one of the shafts and its wheel,whereby said frame is secured to the wheel for rotation therein end overend, a car mounted within the frame, trunnions extending from the frontand rear ends of the car, said trunnions operating in bearings at' th'efront and rear lends of the frame supporting the car balanced within theframe, a seat within the car disposed below the center of gravity of thecar, the weight of a person occupying the seat overb-alancing the carwhen the car rotates end over end, rolling the car at right'angl'es tothe direction of travel of the car over the track.

4. A pleasure railway comprising a track, a horizontal frame, shaftsextending laterally from the central portion of the frame, wheelsmounted on -the shafts, said wheels moving over the track, .a brakingmechanism mounted on one of said wheels, brake shoes supported by one ofsaid shafts and cooperating with said braking mech- :anismin locking thewheel to the shaft associated therewith, rotating the frame with thewheel in an end over end direction, a carpivotally mounted within the:frame and having connection with the frame atthe endsof-the frame, aseat within the car disposed below the center of gravity of the \car,means for operating the brake shoes from a point within the car, andmeans for moving-the frame andcar-over the track.

BERNARD B. PEWITT.

REFERENCES CITED illhe f'ollowing references are of record in the ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Courtney 'Nov.'1, 193s

